Tulare Union-Dinuba rematch has more at stake. It’s for a Valley championship

The memory of falling short is still there for the Tulare Union High football team. It’s a memory they can try to erase Friday night.

Top-seeded Tulare Union hosts No. 2 Dinuba in the Central Section Division II championship game at 7 p.m. at Bob Mathias Stadium. It’s one of 11 section playoff games Friday, including two other championship contests: Rosamond at Strathmore in D-VI and Trona at Fresno Christian in 8-man.

Four divisions are at the semifinal stage, including D-I, where Bakersfield visits top-seeded Central in a rematch of last year’s final and No. 2 Clovis West plays No. 3 Buchanan.

Last year, Sunnyside knocked off Tulare Union in the semifinals. This season, the Tulare Union is undefeated, exacted revenge on Sunnyside in the quarterfinals and has scored at least six touchdowns in each of its 12 games.

“We’ve had the majority of the kids that came back from last year,” Tribe coach Darren Bennett said. “Obviously our goal was to win our league and win Valley and try to be state champion. It is a very reachable goal because of all the kids we have back.”

That includes senior running back Kazmeir Allen, who this week picked up an offer from Southern Cal. He’s has 16 scholarship offers on the table.

Last week, Allen set the state single-season record with 67 touchdowns when he scored three in a 42-12 semifinal win against No. 4 Garces.

The Tribe played without Fresno State commit Emoryie Edwards, who had been sidelined with a hairline fracture. He will be back Friday.

Returning against Garces was Bryson Allen, who missed the past four games because of an injury. He finished with two receptions for 80 yards and a touchdown.

“We have a lot of kids on the team who have God-given ability who worked really hard to get where they’re at,” Bennett said. “This is one of, if not the most, talented team I’ve ever coached.”

Tulare Union is gunning for its fifth section title and first since 2008, when the Tribe defeated El Diamante 42-33 in D-II to complete a 14-0 season. Tulare Union first won a section title in the Yosemite Division in 1986, section historian Bob Barnett said. The other titles came in 1999 and 2000 in the Yosemite small division.

“They want to win for the guys that came before them and guys in the NFL that played at Tulare, and all the kids in college,” Bennett said. “It’s a big deal for them and they want to finish strong and they want to win a state title, but I said, ‘Hey, that doesn’t matter if we don’t win Valley.’ They’re excited and looking forward to playing Dinuba again.”

The Tribe beat Dinuba 69-47 on Sept. 29 in what might have been both teams’ wildest game of the season.

Dinuba also is aiming for its fifth section title. The Emperors’ previous championships came in 1919 (Valley), 1969 (Sierra Division), 1973 (Sequoia Division) and 2009 (Division III), according to Barnett.

The D-II final is part of a unique doubleheader at Bob Mathias Stadium; Tulare Western hosts Tehachapi in a D-III semifinal that kicks off at 1 p.m.

Strathmore looks to repeat

Last season, Strathmore rolled undefeated all the way to the state championship game before falling to St. Patrick/St. Vincent-Vallejo 29-28 on a last-second field goal.

The Spartans (12-0) are on the same trajectory this year heading into the D-VI final against No. 2 Rosamond (11-1).

Strathmore coach Jeromy Blackwell said his team is not thinking of a repeat; the motto for his team all season is “1-0, that’s all that matters.”

“They are very businesslike and mature,” Blackwell said. “This is a different team with a different personality than last year.”

Senior running back Joseph Garcia is leading the way with 1,934 rushing yards and 33 touchdowns.

The visiting Roadrunners are led by junior quarterback Isiah Escobar, who has completed 132 of 250 for 2,334 yards and 29 touchdowns against four interceptions.

Strathmore has won four section titles – in 1992 and 1998 in the Sierra Division and 2009 and 2016 in D-VI, Barnett said. Rosamond has been in the section five seasons and is in its first title game.

Fresno Christian aims for title

In an 8-man title game, top seed Fresno Christian (8-4) hosts No. 2 Trona (10-0) at 5 p.m. Friday on the northeast Fresno campus.

Eagles senior quarterback Tyler Villines leads the charge with 1,268 yards and 20 touchdowns – plus he’s rushed for 20 TDs. Fresno Christian junior running back Anthony Lonardo has 14 touchdowns.

Division I rematch

Top-seeded Central (11-1) and No. 5 Bakersfield (6-5) will meet again in the playoffs. But this time it’s a semifinal matchup.

Last season, the Drillers stepped onto the field at Wayne Koligian Stadium and came away with a 21-14 victory against the No. 1 Grizzlies.

Kickoff is set for 7 p.m. at the same site.

The other semifinal matchup features No. 3 Clovis West and No. 2 Buchanan at Veterans Memorial Stadium.

The Golden Eagles defeated the Bears 36-17 on Oct. 13. Clovis West outscored Buchanan 33-3 in the second half after trailing 14-3.

Title-game webcasts

The High School Sports Network will webcast the title games in D-II and D-VI. The price is $9.95 through the NFHS Network.

This story was originally published November 22, 2017 at 11:48 AM with the headline "Tulare Union-Dinuba rematch has more at stake. It’s for a Valley championship."